Ungoliant Reborn
by Laira Evans
Summary: Hermione has a spider-related animagus mishap and proceeds to unknowingly cause chaos during her adventures in Middle Earth.
1. Chapter 1

Ungoliant Reborn.

Timeline may not follow the movies/books.

Hermione –

"So, what do I do now?" I sat atop a fallen behemoth of a tree, tapping at my hip as I mused in front of the hourglass. Talking to myself wasn't something I normally did, but sometimes it was simply unavoidable. Vocal cords fell under the "use 'em or lose 'em" category in my opinion. Besides, a decision of such magnitude deserved a verbal marker.

The sun was falling, but it didn't have to. A few twists of the hourglass and it would be noon again. I would be free of all responsibilities for a few more hours, free to travel where I wished. _'Such a small device, but so addictive.'_ The power of a Time Turner... no one who hadn't used one could fully understand what it felt like to live outside of time. The temptation to continue using it, to continue experiencing the freedom of it, was so strong it seemed almost an addiction.

Strictly speaking, there was no reason to give up the time turner _this _moment. No one knew I had it. Thanks to a terribly risky trick, McGonagall thought I'd already turned the device into the Ministry. But that didn't mean there weren't dangers, the results of the paradox I'd created to steal back the hourglass not least among them. I hadn't even expected the trick to work, after all, causing anything more than a slight paradox in wind currents was supposed to be far beyond the capabilities of an inch-high time turner. Perhaps the reason it was presumed impossible was because no had survived to tell the tale.

Causing a paradox such as I had created had left a rift in the very fabric of the world. High atop the astronomy tower it lay unseen and unheard, but it was very much there. A little push was all it took to press through to the other side. It was another world beyond the rift, so far as I could figure. One far less developed than the one of my birth. Over past few weeks I'd explored thirty miles in every direction from the rift and found only animals, fields and forest, not a hint of human civilization to be found. But I knew I was lucky. Instead of a tiny tear in the fabric of reality it could have been a maelstrom, sucking the entirety of Hogwarts and all its inhabitants not into a world of plants and sunshine, but a hell of darkness and fire. Yes, the dangers of continuing to use the time turner were far from inconsiderable. It was only luck that I'd found out about the Marauder's Map and destroyed it before Harry could blunder his way into a paradox.

Not only was the hourglass dangerous, strictly speaking I had no legitimate reason to keep it any longer. I'd only been given it (and truly I could not understand why they would give such a dangerous object to a child, but wizards were a rather irrational lot) in order to take extra classes, classes I no longer had. I'd dropped Muggle Studies and Divination early on after realizing how insufferably boring they were. Naturally McGonagall had asked for the time turner back, and while reluctant I would have done so if not for my favorite cousin fallen deadly ill.

Giving magical medical assistance to anyone outside a witch's immediate family was strictly forbidden under the Statute of Secrecy, so naturally I couldn't ask a mediwitch or wizard for assistance, and even as smart as I was I knew I couldn't learn how to heal her in the few days she had left. And so I'd risked a deadly paradox to steal back the hourglass from McGonagall's owl. Sixty days compressed into three later, I'd managed to illegally heal my cousin Sophie with none the wiser.

All my immediate goals met, I still struggled with giving up the device. It was dangerous, but wondrous as well. And who could know when I might need it again, or indeed what might happen if I didn't keep progressing in my studies. Harry needed me, the world needed me, and if I only had twenty four hours a day to study then I'd never acquire the knowledge I needed in time. Perhaps it was paranoia or a rationalization to keep hold of such a powerful object, but I didn't think so. Living the same day over and over let me see things that others couldn't. And that was that the wizarding world was unstable. Sooner rather than later it was all going to go downhill fast and likely end with thousands of casualties, Muggles and Magicals alike. Really it would be rather irresponsible to stop using the time turner.

I gave the hourglass three turns and leaned back against the fallen tree as the world spun backwards. I smiled as the noonday sun kissed my cheeks. "What a beautiful day. Again."

End 1.1

Mmm...


	2. Chapter 2

Start 1.2

What a rotten day, a rotten year. At least what little of it I'd actually spent at Hogwarts rather than exploring Earth and the world beyond the rift. Not that previous years at Hogwarts had been all rainbows and sunshine. Having Voldemort as a DADA teacher and then a giant snake on the prowl had been bad, but at least I hadn't been forced to maim a teacher. Honestly, what had Dumbledore been THINKING. Hiring a werewolf was one thing, but hiring one without the common sense to take his wolfsbane potion on the night of a full moon? Honestly, he could have turned a dozen children into werewolves before he was stopped if the change had taken him in the castle – or killed them, for that matter.

God, he was wailing now. A dark creature, certainly, but still vaguely dog-like. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him as he bewailed his lost leg – or arm, I supposed, once he transformed back. It really was his own fault though. Ron hadn't been able to run thanks to twisted ankle and Harry was as always completely unwilling to flee from danger, so it had fallen to me to protect them. Unfortunately, stunning curses had melted off Lupin's werewolf form like they were nothing, and I lacked Harry's raw magical power to be able to force out a strong enough stunner to break through his resistance. Thus I was left with plan C, a curse that I had learned only recently in my time turner-aided extracurricular studies. The cutting curse had performed even better than I'd hoped, slicing through the werewolf's leg like butter. Was it wrong that I was feeling relieved that there was no way I'd be convicted for it? Given the Ministry's current stance on werewolves they probably wouldn't even give me a slap on the wrist for maiming him under the circumstances.

Honestly, what a mess this all was. First poor Buckbeak was executed, causing Harry to run off to the woods to grieve. Obviously with a horde of dementors roaming around as well as Sirius Black hunting the boy, leaving him alone in the Dark Forest was out of the question. Rushing after him had gone poorly from the start. A spider (and honestly not a scary spider, it was really almost cute) dropping in front of Ron's face was all it took to send him into a backwards somersault that ended with a twisted ankle.

It hadn't gotten better from there. A vicious black dog had come out of nowhere and transformed into the murderous Sirius Black. Whatever else the man was, he was a master duelist. In barely an instant he'd snatched Ron's wand and used it to disarm Harry and myself. From there he'd proved that the newspaper's appellation of "The Mad" was well deserved. Inexplicably he'd started rambling about the past while torturing Ron's poor rat Scabbers.

Lupin arrived not much later. Apparently he and Black were in cahoots, old friends from school and the war, it seemed. I hadn't thought Lupin had it in him. He'd seemed so nice at first but apparently he wasn't such a good werewolf after all. I wanted to believe that somehow all of this was a misunderstanding, that Harry's godfather Sirius black and Professor Lupin had some excuse for their actions and that Lupin's failure to take wolfsbane was an innocent mistake... but this wasn't a fairy tale. Immediately they'd started talking sinisterly of how they'd kill him (Harry) and take revenge for the years spent in Askaban. Strangely they'd decided Harry needed to know _why_ they were killing him first. The delay as they debated explaining first or killing him immediately lasted just long enough for Lupin to be caught in a ray of moonlight. During the transformation Black had foolishly tried to restrain Lupin but was struck unconscious when Lupin shed the last of his humanity.

Well, at least it was all over now. I'd recovered my wand during Lupin's transformation and been the one to save the day for once, rather than Harry. It felt good, provided I didn't think about the severed limb. _'What now, what now.' _So long as Lupin didn't go after us with only three legs, all we had to do was send up some sparks and wait for the proper authorities to arrive. Just for good measure I sent my strongest stunner at the still unconscious Black before retraining my sights at Lupin, wand at the ready.

"Ron," I said, "grab your wand and send up some sparks." I would have asked Harry, but I didn't want to talk him down from killing Sirius. Little Harry had shown some disturbing homicidal impulses this year.

It took a few fumbles as Ron struggled to regain his calm but ultimately it was a simple spell and he soon shot off a 100 foot high tower of sparks. With any luck at all, someone from the castle or one of the aurors "managing" the dementors had noticed it and would arrive quickly. "What do we do now?" he asked.

I was tempted to let Harry or Ron handle it from here. Boys could get a bit sullen if they didn't get to play Captain every once in awhile, and from here on out things should be fairly simple. On the other hand Ron was only holding it together out of some impulse to impress me if I was reading him right, and Harry was looking rather peaky. _'And that's why.' _Frost creeping down the trees, darkness creeping through an already dark sky, an oily aura of fear and despair pressing down more heavily with every second... dementors. A whole bloody horde of them coming to investigate my apparently very stupid sparks idea.

"_Scheisse._" Ah, my German was showing. Well, it wasn't like the boys would ever figure out that I'd used the time turner to spend three weeks in Germany last Thursday. "We need to run. Now."

"What?" "Why?" they asked.

"Dementors. Now come on!" Harry and I held Ron between us to steady his ankle as we stumbled through the growing darkness. I slowed as my knees went weak and frost trimmed patterns along the hem of my robes. We came to a stop as I looked behind us, struck dead still by what I saw. I'd saved Sirius Black from Harry's vengeance, but it seemed I'd sentenced him to a far worse fate in doing so. With ominous finality a dementor closed its terrible maw over the glowing orb that was Black's soul.

Lupin succumbed not long after, a dozen dementors sapping away his strength before taking his soul as well. Werewolves weren't typically susceptible for dementors, but these were hardly typical circumstances. My attack had weakened him too much to run away, and separated so long from the prisoners of Askaban that served as their food source the dementors had grown ravenous beyond measure. Whatever docility had been bred into them in Askaban had disappeared entirely.

_'They see us.' _It was difficult to rustle up anything more than despair over that fact. I'd moved beyond fear into a terrible stillness. As the dark-cloaked figures swarmed towards us the color leached out of world and mind. Not just light but seemingly the very memory of light was extinguished as they approached, until it felt as if darkness and despair was all there had ever been.

Something in me rebelled. A twisting in my gut that refused to lie down and let my soul be taken. Even faced with these suffocating reapers there was part of me that responded to the darkness not with despair, but with _hunger. _Yes, I could feel it now. There was still light to be found if I peered closer. Gleaming orbs of light and blue fire just waiting for me to reach out and –

"_Expecto PATRONUM!"_

I recoiled as a gleaming stag galloped forth from Harry's wand. Waves of light birthed from pure joy exploded forth from the stag, glorious and painful at the same time. My skin was burned red by the time the waves ceased, but I felt alive again and the dementors had retreated, at least for the moment. All in all a little sunburn was a more than fair price. It was a bit strange that neither Harry nor Ron were burnt though. Perhaps they'd had the common sense to turn away.

"We're alive," said Ron after a moment.

I found my own tongue then as well. "Well done, Harry! But how did you do it? I tried that spell myself and couldn't even get a glimmer."

He scratched his head. "I just thought of my happiest memory. Seeing the man who betrayed my parents die."

_'Oh. Well that's a little dark. Definitely got the job done though.' _

Ron tugged at our arms. "Don't you think we should get back to the castle? You know, before they come back?"

There was no need for words after that. We ran.


	3. Chapter 3

Onwards, chap 1.3

At last, the school year was over. It was a pity really. Not that it was over, but that I was so glad it was. I used to love school, after a fashion, but I'd come to the realization that loving to learn and loving school were entirely different things. Sitting through class after class of dumbed-down material that I already knew forwards and backwards was nearly enough to make me pull my hair out. If not for the occasional time turner-induced jaunt between classes to blow off steam I might never have made it through the year.

'Year,' of course, I used only in the colloquial sense. During the course of two semesters I'd lived through at least fourteen months, perhaps more. My personal inclinations would have led to me spending even more time outside Hogwarts's boring confines but I'd chosen to moderate my use of the time turner and stay outside the rift following the dementor attack. The auror investigation and the attempts to resolve the ministry of all wrongdoing in loosing a pack of dementors on children had made it impossible to use the hourglass incautiously. But there was other reasons to limit its use, even after the aurors had departed and the teachers stopped eying the three of us with suspicion.

Circumstantially, at least, my extra-curricular activities had not gone unnoticed. My increased spellcasting abilities were easily disguised, but my age rather less so. Traveling backwards in time didn't make me any younger, and as a result I was starting to look suspiciously old for fourteen. The boys didn't mind. Ron's response to me looking like (and secretly _being_) closer to sixteen was "Damn girl, when did you get so hot?" He didn't have the guts to say it out loud, but I could tell he was thinking it.

Harry's more measured appreciation was actually far more flattering. He was even younger than Ron (and I'd had six months on Ron even before I started playing with time) but Harry struck me as being more mature, less flighty. He was steadfast against danger, had saved my life more than once with Ron only reluctantly at his side, and was surprisingly powerful for his age, though untrained. There was darkness in him too, but at times that seemed more alluring than worrying. Probably a feeling that I should squash. Mom had fallen for a bad boy too, but not all bad boys grew up to be dentists.

The girls had a different opinion of my fairly sudden maturation. Scoring better than them on every test was one thing, but looking better than them on top of that was just too much for them. Teasing had begun to turn childish pranks and even some of the fourth year girls had gotten in on it, wary of the way their boyfriends had started to look at me. Reluctantly I had to admit that my bust's stubbornly slow development was probably for the best. I had enough eyes on me already.

Hopefully everything would blow over during the course of the summer. Their memories of my younger self would fade, and it was expected that people grow up over the summer. As long as I didn't use the hourglass over the break it probably wouldn't be too hard to blend in. "Tch." I already knew that was one resolution I wouldn't be following. I'd probably cut back on vacations to Italy, and reaching the the rift atop the Astronomy tower would be too risky with the school closed, but there was one project that I was desperate to delve into over the break. Inspired by Sirius Black, I could be traveling through the Pyrenees on four legs rather than two next year.

Despite the illegality of becoming an animagus without full government supervision, the plan was practical as well as fun. After the near miss with a dementor's kiss I'd researched far and wide for defense against them after repeatedly failing to produce a patronus. Discovering that animagi in their animal form were resistant to dementors (as well as lycanthropy and most wizarding sicknesses) had made an already interesting subject jump to the top of my list.

My first two years in the wizarding world I'd assumed it was just like the muggle world but with magic, that the things that had happened at Hogwarts were an exception to a generally rational rule. This, it seemed, was quite far from the case. Not only was the wizarding world racist, inbred, poorly governed, and at a near-standstill technologically, the wizarding judicial system and prison in the UK was like something out of Dante's Inferno. The more I read of Askaban the more horrific and threatening it seemed. Apparently there was no such thing as community service or low-security prisons, just cells in Askaban that received varying amounts of attention from dementors. According to wizarding law you were either innocent of all charges (like Lucious Malfoy apparently) or guilty and sentenced to spent time with happiness-sucking, insanity-causing robed monsters, and many of those sentences were for life.

Considering the only slight chance I'd have of escaping a guilty sentence if my non-ministry approved time turner use was discovered would be to throw McGonagall under the bus, I hoped my animagus form was small enough to slip through prison bars.

End chap.

Alright, prologue's essentially done. On to chapter 2. Might be some typos, was watching John Oliver's show while writing. (It's a very good show.)


	4. Chapter 4

So... here we are, chapter 1.4 Not quite chapter 2 I'm thinking.

(-)

I'd underestimated my parents' observation skills. It had taken a few weeks for them to suss it all out, but getting lost in the Amazon jungle for three months had been enough to finally make them stop me for a talk. It wasn't quite what I expected. I thought I'd been caught time traveling due to the sudden change of haircut that I'd been too homesick to notice, or the subtle sharpening of my cheekbones that came from aging three months in a single day. Turned out they'd decided to stage an intervention over the bras of mine Mom had washed for me. Apparently a sudden cup size increase immediately made them think I was magically enhancing myself.

Explaining why and how I'd been aging faster than normal had taken a few hours, but overall they'd taken it with aplomb. Well, after crying a bit about their little baby growing up too fast. Mentioning that witches tended to age a little slower after reaching maturity had helped smooth things over a bit. Though, upon learning that I was already fifteen, they mandated that I do my own laundry from now on. They'd also put their foot down about muggle history. They were happy that I'd picked up some foreign languages during my time turner-aided globe traveling, but apparently being well on my way to voting age and knowing hardly anything about English history besides several supposed goblin wars was criminally deficient.

I didn't really mind the extra studies, but it was a shame I had less and less free time. I'd read that powerful wizards and witches as well as the famous had a harder time using time turners but I hadn't thought it would apply to me anytime soon. Apparently I was wrong. I could hear a sort of hum whenever I came close to creating a paradox, and it was happening awfully frequently. Stupid muggle cellphones were making it harder and harder to do month-in-a-day trips now that I was pretty enough to be noticed and remembered by random passerby. Not that I was terribly unhappy about that, but it was a bit of a mixed gift. On top of that, I seemed to have acquired more "magical mass." Another natural part of becoming an adult witch, or so I'd read. Unfortunately, while a larger magical core allowed for stronger spells, it also meant the itsy bitsy hourglass had to work a lot harder to send me back in time. The repeated overuse when I'd gotten lost in the Amazon had even left a worrisome crack in it.

What it all boiled down to was that I had to either steal an industrial-strength time turner and learn how to glamour myself to escape attention... or start limiting my jaunts through time. I was reluctantly going with the latter option, but I was holding the former in reserve. It was probably for the best that I cut things down to forty hours a day or less. Not only was time traveling dangerous, sometimes it felt like an unhealthy addiction. It certainly hadn't helped my social life thus far. It was hard to relate with Harry and Ron when they were moving through life at half my speed, and they weren't the sharpest tacks to begin with.

As it turned out, it wasn't much longer before the whole time travel issue completely blew over with my parents.

* * *

I really shouldn't have screamed. That was the key issue. Not playing around with magic beyond capabilities or forgetting to turn off the alarm clock while I was meditating to achieve my animagus form, no, it was definitely the scream. I wasn't a little girl anymore, but that hadn't stopped my parents from running into my room. Given the way they also started screaming I suspected they'd stop to knock in the future.

It took an hour to get Mom to relinquish her death grip on the broom. It almost made things better that she freaked out as much as she did. It meant I could concentrate on calming her down rather than focusing on the fact that I had _eight freaking spider legs_. Honestly, I had a feeling that I might be seriously screwed. Madam Pomfrey had covered up the polyjuice potion (and honestly, turning oneself into an animal hybrid _once_ in a lifetime was already too often) but there was no guarantee she'd do the same for this. And if her scan revealed my true age... I had a feeling that hoping for the minimum security section of Azkaban would be overly optimistic.

There had to be a way to fix this. Most of the horror stories about partial anigmagus transformations involved foolish young wizards transforming their heads into animals and not retaining the sense to change back, but thankfully I'd only managed to alter my legs. Unfortunately according to the books I'd picked up from Knockturn Alley, now that the animagus transformation had started and been allowed to set there was no way to become fully human without turning fully into a... a _spider._ Even ignoring the unexpected animal, transforming fully and then back to human was easier said than done. Thanks to that damned alarmed clock interrupting my meditation I'd gone seriously off script. Even with the timer turner it could take months to transform safely, and if I grew steadily more spider-like, well, it would be hard to go to class if I was only a foot tall. At least as I was I could pass for human if I figured out a way to keep my lower half concealed.

But how... School robes were terribly unflattering and had helped hide my age, but they weren't bulky enough to hide my giant spider abdomen and accompanying legs. Nor was I anywhere near good enough at illusion magic to simply glamour myself, not that I had the power to keep a glamour up all day and still cast spells for class anyways. But maybe, just maybe, there was a third option. Hopefully Harry would forgive me.

End chapter

Wheeeeeee. Past the intro.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 2.1

"_Colloportus._" I sighed in relief as door to the train hallway clicked shut and the privacy window tint engaged. Navigating down the length of the train without bumping anyone with my spider legs or butt had been a harrowing experience. Now that I was safely away from the other students I could finally relax.

"Oof." Before I knew it I was on the ground nursing a bruised elbow. '_Oh, right, benches.'_ Beds I could handle with a little effort, but benches and chairs were far from friendly to giant spiders. With careful concentration I maneuvered my eight legs to lever myself upright before sitting down between the train compartment's benches. Honestly, eight legs were far too many. Four I probably could have handled, but it had been a number of weeks now and I still tripped a few times a day. A necessary consequence of a human mind controlling a spider body, I supposed. Certainly better than the reverse.

Despite the frosted glass this was no time to be incautious. Turning nearly 180 degrees at my waist I adjusted the invisibility cloak I'd stolen from Harry, making sure it covered all my spider parts. Well, except for my teeth. The small fangs were a recent acquisition, gained during one final attempt at completing my animagus training before I lost my nerve. Considering the fangs had come with a sudden new appreciation for red meat I figured it was best to stop while not too far behind. My dear Crookshanks wouldn't even come in the same room as me. For the first time, I was going to Hogwarts entirely alone. But I wasn't a little girl anymore, and over the past – for me – two years I'd learned how to get along by myself quite well.

While a good start, the invisibility cloak wasn't enough to let me blend in by itself. It did however make the process of maintaining an illusory floor-length skirt or robe far easier. It was still draining and the control to conjure the image of 3-d legs was as of yet beyond me, but as long as no one bumped into me and I didn't show off my fangs it was sufficient to pass as fully human. Thankfully it was only a temporary solution and with luck I wouldn't have to keep it up for very long, but it did present some problems as far as how to shower at school. Even with the time turner, a trip back home every day would be annoying. Hogwarts wasn't even on the same island. But... there was the rift.

It had been such a long time since I'd been through. Fall had come with force here in Scotland, but perhaps it was still summer in that other world. I could bathe in a crystal-clear river without having to squeeze my spider half into a shower cubicle or worrying about discovery. It sounded heavenly. And on top of that, I'd finally get to let loose and practice some real magic. I'd studied a bunch of theory and learned a few wandless cantrips and of course screwed up an animagus transformation, but my wand had been strictly off limits. Stupid Ministry of Magic underage misuse of magic monitoring system crushing my creative spirit, or something.

* * *

_Gurgle. _"Shut up, stomachs." I was already regretting skipping out on the Sorting feast. But despite the questions it might bring from Harry and Ron there was just no way I could have gone. Not only would someone have bumped into me at the crowded dining table, I wasn't sure I could even properly sit at the table without breaking a leg. I'd just have to grab something from the kitchens later. It could be hours before there was anything hot there though, and I had little appetite for crackers or fruit anymore. No point in using the time turner then. Breakfast was far enough already. This visit to the world beyond the rift would have to be a short one.

I really had to come up with a better name for this place than "world beyond the rift." Narnia? Verdania? Arda? That sounded about right. And what a beautiful sky Arda had. This was the first time I'd visited Arda on a cloudless night, and the view was breathtaking. A multitude of stars shined against the purest black sky I'd ever seen, none of the hazy pollution of England. The constellations were different from those I'd learned in astronomy class, as I'd expected. Either this was a different dimension or planet entirely, or so far back or forwards in time that the stars themselves had changed position. It would take considerably more exploration to find out which one for sure though.

I stepped towards the river but stopped thereafter, a light tap-dance of spider-feet betraying my indecision. I'd intended to pop by the river I'd discovered in a previous visit, but with night falling the air was turning a touch chill. Besides, there was another piece of Arda that was drawing my attention. The dark, murky woods to the East had seemed forbidding last year, but now something about them called to me. I'd spent an awful lot of time this summer hiding away in my room, constantly studying and suppressing my spider instincts. Maybe it was time to let loose for a little while, here where no-one was around to fear me or call me a freak or a monster.

It took a bit to find the rhythm, but soon enough I was running at a fair pace on my eight legs. Or was it scuttling? skittering? galloping? Regardless, it was considerably faster than my pace had been on human legs. Last time it had taken two days to reach the edge of the forest, this time it barely took two hours and a third of my water bottle. Not sweating anymore significantly helped with water efficiency, despite my larger body. Hunger was a different matter. I'd been a bit peckish when I left Hogwarts but now I was ravenous. Well, it was a forest. I could probably forage for some nuts and berries. And wasn't that a grimace-inducing thought. I hadn't been much for vegetarian fare since my transformation, particularly after I'd grown fangs. Vegetables were hard enough to choke down in a curry, let alone au naturale.

It was dark in the woods and I hadn't brought a light. But I did have my wand. "_Lumos._" Devouring darkness spread from my wand until I canceled the spell with a thought. "Or not." It seemed I was right to come here to practice my wandwork before trying any spells in class. I'd suspected something was wrong when I'd practiced _lumos_ and other minor spells wandlessly over the summer, but this proved it. When my body changed, so did my magic. It didn't affect everything, but certain spells were subtly changed, weakened or strengthened. Or, like _lumos_, rather less subtly.

Despite the lack of light I moved deeper into the woods, careful not to lose the dim starlight behind me. _'Well that's odd.' _A dozen yards into the woods and I hadn't run into a single branch, hadn't even had a single one of my legs stumble. I could feel... everything. It was like touching a doorknob through a thick glove, but I could feel a rock ten feet away, the falling of a leaf, even the swaying of the trees. Not only that, my eyes were starting to adjust. It was murky, but I was starting to see dim shapes limned in silver-gray. Some sort of night vision with a little echolocation spider-sense type thing on top, I surmised. Not bad, not bad at all. My failed animagus experiment had caused me no end of trouble back in civilization, but it was proving quite useful for exploring.

Buoyed by my newfound talent I scampered deeper into the woods. Navigating out of the woods could wait until dawn, right now navigating around tree trunks was enough. I went faster and faster as I gained familiarity with my senses. 'Ground' took on a whole new meaning as I went deeper into the woods. A tumultuous mix of rocks, fallen trees and vines had me running well above the soil, often as not. Scents filled the air, little scurrying creatures darting into the brush as I passed, making me want to _pounce_. I restrained myself, of course. It wasn't like I'd know what to do with one of them if I caught something anyways. Other than that however I let my instincts have free reign. Here in the depth of the woods it was as if I'd entered another realm. Time and the trappings of civilization felt very far away.

I wasn't sure how long it had been when I came to an abrupt stop. Neither was I immediately sure what it was that had stopped me. Even with my improved vision I couldn't see anything in front of me, but I could feel a barrier, feel the wind press and weave through it. Cautiously I brushed it with a fingertip. _'Silk?' _A gentle pluck revealed its secrets, vibrations thrumming outwards through a series of interconnected webs. _'Spider silk... but what kind of spiders could weave webs this large?'_

My question was answered moments later with a rustling along the webs. A hissing at the edge of sound reached my ears. Strangely, though it was no language I'd ever heard, I began to grasp its meaning. _"Meat." "Glorious meat." "More intruders?" "Kill them." "EAT them."_

_"Oh shit," _I said. _'Wait, did I just hiss?' _Eyes flashed in the darkness and I wondered if it was too late to run. Or maybe... _"I come in peace," _I hissed to the spiders. Giant spiders. Bear-sized spiders. Was it weird that they looked huggable? Yes, that was definitely weird.

My words seemed to have thrown the arachnids into disarray, but it hadn't stopped them from gathering in the trees above me. At least three dozen of them chittered above me amongst the branches, too many hiss-words flying at once for me to interpret. All of a sudden all of their voices started saying the same things.

_"Grandmother! Honored Grandmother!" "Come come Grandmother, we have food for you."_

"Huh?"

End 2.1

LordRanma4 Sry. Several weeks late and the wrong fic. Multiple part-time jobs keeping me busy this summer.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 2.2 – Dwarves Are Heavy

There were dozens of giant talking spiders calling me Grandmother. To quote the Americans, this was seriously trippy. I was quite certain I hadn't been laying any eggs, let alone fertilizing them. There was no possible way – _'No, it' can't be...' _But now I couldn't get it out of my head. It was only ever a few hours at a time, a day at most, but technically I was a time traveler. Who was to say that in the future I didn't take a jaunt further back through time.

_'Nope, not happening. 100% not going back in time to birth a race of giant spiders.' _I felt faint as I imagined dozens of baby baseball-sized spiders crawling around a crib. _'I'm too young to be a grandmother! This has got to be a case of mistaken identity.' _That said, did I really want them to figure out that I was someone else? They seemed cute enough now, but who knew what they might be like if they got angry. Heart beating wildly I followed them through the darkness around the webs until I reached an obstacle. The last of the giant spiders had left the ground, traveling up the massive trees.

_'How do they even _do_ that?'_ Maybe there was a trick to it. If all the trees were covered in webbing then maybe they were sticky enough to walk right up. _'Or not,' _I decided after testing my hand against the bark. Striking the tree with one of my forelegs in frustration, it was only my extra three pairs of legs kept me from stumbling when my foreleg stuck to the tree. Tugging harder I managed to pull my leg away from the tree, but something came away along with it. Extending from the end of my foreleg was claw of purest black, an absolute darkness even against the midnight black of the woods.

I lifted the leg up towards me for a better look but it retracted as if it was never there. Concentrating on the feeling I'd had of it retracting, I flexed muscles I hadn't known I had and the claw shot back out along with another on each of my other seven legs. _'Have I had these this whole time?'_ They looked dangerous. Sort of sexy too.

Inwardly I face-faulted. _'Sexy? Am I really that sort of girl?'_ An attraction to dangerous men and weapons, I was definitely starting to starting to fall into a cliché. If I woke up one morning with tattoos and a fetish for guns I'd know I'd gone too far.

Putting myself back into the moment, I tested my claws against the tree. It was a little tricky to judge how far to embed the claws for a proper grip without making it hard to pull them out but I soon got the hang of it. Climbing higher I was pleased to note that the fear of heights I'd suffered when learning to fly a broom no longer afflicted me. Another bonus, the burn in my core from holding up my upper body against gravity suggested all this climbing would be great for my abs.

_"Eat, eat!"_ the spiders chorused as I reached the appointed elephant-wide branch. They rolled thirteen silk cocoons to me before plunging their stingers in to deliver some sort of venom. I could hear a faint bubble and hiss as the venom dissolved whatever was inside the cocoons. _"Fresh caught, good meat within."_

A grimace twisted my face. Was I really going to go through with this? Sure, they might attack me if they realized I wasn't their Grandmother, but the thought of eating dissolved wild prey was seriously icky. Not to mention that the venom currently hissing and bubbling could very likely eat away at me from the inside out if I drank it. After all, I was only half spider. _'And half _witch._'_ If my partial arachnid transformation wasn't enough to completely protect me then the natural resistance of witches to physical harm could do the trick. Besides, I was awfully hungry. _'Just a little bite then.'_

The cocoon was heavier than its size would suggest. It was lucky I was a lot stronger than I was when fully human, but I still had to use both hands to lift up the nearly 100 kilo package. Cautiously I dug my fangs into the spider-silk until a burst of flavor hit my tongue. _'Oh... that's not half bad.'_ Thanks to some chemical reaction with the venom the contents of the cocoon had roughly the taste and temperature of a hearty beef stew. I still preferred a nice extra-rare steak that I could sink my teeth into, but this wasn't a half-bad substitute. Oh, I was being discourteous wasn't I.

_"Eat, my children. I only need this one." _Children? It was possible I was getting a little too deep into character. I couldn't help but feel a certain joy in seeing them so eagerly attack their food. It was like throwing dog treats out to a pack of eager puppies. Talking puppies that hunted in a pack rather than individually and seemed to have some sort of societal structure... just how intelligent were they, anyways? Learning magic and the constant drama with Harry and Voldemort had blinded me to a very important fact: Humans were not the only intelligent species. On Earth, various species like goblins and centaurs were kept marginalized and disenfranchised by wizards and witches, but on Arda the giant spiders could be free to create their own civilization. Agriculture was probably out if they had the same opinion of vegetables as I did, but teaching them about raising livestock could kick-start a cultural and technological evolution. I was already heady with the possibilities.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 2.3 – The Burglar

I'd consumed a kilo or two of the delicious soup when there was a disturbance just out of sight. A subtle thrum along the interconnected webs sent several spiders rushing to see what it was. What they brought back made me lose my appetite. Tangled in webbing but not yet fully cocooned was what appeared to be a small child. Was it possible that the soup I was enjoying was made from human flesh?

_"What is it, what is it?" _they asked, poking at the squirming bundle.

_'Thank god, it's the first one they've caught. Most humans would know better than to wander into a forest like this.'_

_"Is it prey?" _asked a dog-sized spider. A larger one responded, _"It struggles nicely. Juicy flesh, smells so sweet. Methinks it will be good to eat."_

I held back a giggle at hearing a giant spider speak in rhyme. I had to be serious here. If I didn't intervene quickly the child could end up like whatever furry woodland creatures occupied the first thirteen cocoons. _"Hold on you two. You can finish off my meal. I'll be taking this little one with me for later." _They seemed disappointed to miss out on a taste of a new flavor of prey but accepted the consolation meal eagerly enough.

_"Grandmother, you're leaving?" _another asked, the rest looking at me intently.

_"For a little while," _I replied, realizing as I said it that I truly meant it. Regardless of the risks, this meeting would not be a one time thing. _"I'll return as soon as I'm able. Thank you for the meal."_

Rather than respond verbally, the entire cluster of spider stopped eating to bow to me as I awkwardly made my leave, struggling bundle hefted in one hand. I heard muffled shouting or screaming from the boy as I made my way down, but it stopped once we reached the ground. I considered unwrapping him but he'd already proven foolish enough to run into a dark forest once, I couldn't let him run off again. Being wrapped in webbing for another hour or two was better than getting eaten by whatever else might lurk in this forest.

It was a slow slog back out of the woods. The barest glimmer of the rising sun was all I had to navigate by. I eventually had to take to the trees for the final few miles. On the way in nothing had bothered me, either because I didn't smell like prey or I was just moving too fast, but the kid was attracting a lot of unwanted attention. Some giant scorpion-looking thing took three stunner bolts to be dissuaded.

I emerged onto the plains some twenty miles south of the portal judging by a familiar looking willow tree by the river bank. Settling beneath its branches I gratefully set down the package, arms long grown sore from carrying it. It was only at that moment that I noticed the child didn't smell human. _'Since when have I known what humans smell like?'_ Or perhaps the better question was how long had it been since I'd been away from their stink. Like someone who hadn't showered for days, I'd been surrounded by the smell for so long that I must have gotten used to it. It was only here in Arda that I could get a breath of truly fresh air.

Curious as to what the creature could be I began to delicately slice away the webbing with my claws. I uncovered the face firs. Despite the small stature it appeared to be a man's face, albeit with pointed ears. Part-goblin perhaps, like Flitwick? Then again, with it being another world it could be foolish to try and compare physical similarities.

Something shiny tumbled from its pocket as it thrashed. _"Calm down, I'm not going to eat you." _Wait, was I still speaking spider? Now I knew how Harry must feel with his parselmouth ability. I reached for the glint of gold in the grass, pulling back a pure gold ring. I intended to slide it back into his shirt pocket but hesitated halfway. There was something about the ring, something that drew the eye – but there was something else I should have been watching.

Black blood spattered my face as the humanoid's sword sliced through the remaining webbing and half my leg. "You vissssciousss little monkey!" I could already tell it would be useless to try and reason with it. The goblin-man-thing was foaming at the mouth, repeating something over and over again about its 'precious.' How could such a creature have such a nice ring? It didn't seem smart enough or sane enough to create one or wealthy enough to buy one. No, it was more likely some type of _burglar._

I drew my wand to stun it, but I was too slow. It swung at me wildly but I danced out of the way, my uninjured foreleg striking out on instinct with all my strength. The humanoid went flying out into the river, the rapids at its center swiftly carrying it away. Later I'd probably worry if it could swim, but right now I just wanted it as far away from me as possible.

"Good riddansse."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chap 3:**

I limped away from the river, much less enamored of the Arda than I was previously. If I still had two legs instead of eight I wouldn't have been walking at all after a strike like that. Like so many other witches and wizards I'd grown incautious of any danger that didn't come from a wand. Still, I questioned how the creature had done so much damage. The chitin over my legs was strong, impervious against thorns and most anything else I'd come across.

Discovery of his fallen sword answered much of the question. For all that he was some foaming-at-the-mouth barbarian, the short sword (dagger?) showed marks of godlike craftsmanship. No matter how meticulously I peered along its length I couldn't find a single imperfection. Much like the ring he'd carried it was relatively plain but expertly made. An impulsive lick revealed that it tasted ever so faintly of magic. Curious to test my newfound skill at tasting something that couldn't be tasted I licked the ring as well. The magic there was sour and spicy but far, far more potent.

At first I'd thought the ring too small for me but it slid onto my finger like it was made for it. I barely had time to admire the look of it before gasping as heat blossomed in my foreleg. Reaching with dread at what I might find, I encountered only smooth exoskeleton. My wound was healed without a trace. "Well aren't you just a precious little thing." I stroked the gold lightly, eyes widening as the faintest hint of letters appeared on its surface. They disappeared before I could do anything more than note they looked foreign from anything I knew.

A ring of healing that could heal a deep wound in seconds… it was truly a treasure. Every witch and wizard new basic charms, but enchanting items was a rare skill. Rarer still was the creation of items of true power. Most legendary items were created centuries or even millennia ago, and those few that weren't had mostly been made by goblins. Given that the goblins tended to make swords and battleaxes almost exclusively, a ring like this coming on the market could command a sizeable sum from collectors and duelists. Not that I had any intention of selling it. A find like this was once in a lifetime, and those runes were begging to be examined. The sword was a different story though. It would likely only grant me some pocket money but that was fine, I wanted it gone at the first opportunity. Having the sword around bothered me for some reason, likely the memory of it cutting into me. If I was a less sensible soul I'd follow the impulse to just throw it into the river and have done with it.

The intelligent spiders, the incredibly well-made magic items, it was all quite a bit more than I was expecting. Even just enjoying the scenery had been spectacular last year, but this was so exciting I hardly wanted to go back to school. Learning had always been a passion of mind, but ever since the time turner had granted me time away from perpetually studying for the next test I'd discovered I had a love for exploring as well. There was more to learn in the world(s) than could be found in books.

I sighed and jumped back through the portal, chill Scottish wind brushing over my human half as I alighted on the Astronomy tower. '_Oops.'_ Hastily I reapplied my stolen invisibility cloak and layered illusion charms until I looked half-way normal. Out of pride I didn't even use my wand, though it did take more energy and concentration out of me. It was nice to successfully cast 6th year charms after completely screwing up a 0th year lumos charm of all things.

My stomachs growled, the sound ominous enough that I considered casting silencio on myself as I scurried double-time to the kitchens. Harry and Ron would worry terribly though if I came begging to them to remove the curse. '_Note to self, practice casting _finite incantem _wordlessly and wandlessly.' _Considering the number of curses thrown around in Hogwarts and the gaggle of dark wizards lurking about it was surprising that it wasn't part of the curriculum. Then again, with the caliber of most DADA teachers considered it wasn't actually that shocking.

The smells from the kitchen had me slavering, wishing I hadn't cut my spider-venom-liquefied meal short back in Arda. I was so hungry I knew from experience I could eat a whole chicken or two. Perhaps a nice raw mackerel as well. Though whatever it was they were cooking smelled wonderful as well. It wasn't any scent I recognized. Something from the magical world perhaps?

It was a little depressing when all the house elves teleported away the moment I entered the kitchen. It was as if the nightmares I had of my friends running away from me as a giant spider had come to my life. Thankfully they swiftly blinked back in, catching ladles and spatulas before they could hit the ground. If I squinted it was just as I remembered, but a few things were off. Even as they said their normal warm, alt-grammered greetings every house-elf kept a wary eye as I wandered down the aisle. I didn't recall them being quite so flighty back when I was fully human, excluding during my misexecuted plan to free them from service last year. I had to wonder if they didn't see through illusions somehow. Either that or they instinctively recognized a predator and were picking up on me thinking they looked vaguely edible, that one with the burnt hand more than most…

Mentally slapping myself I focused on remembering that house-elves were sentient beings, not food - even if they were bite-sized. '_Arrrgh.' _It would be easier not to eat it if I knew its name. Throwing on my best closed-lipped fangless smile I drew up beside the house-elf as it cowered like prey. "What's your name, little one."

"She is being L-l-l-lindy, your h-highness."

A girl, how about that. The 'highness' bit was rather over the top but as wrong as it was I couldn't say I disliked it. What girl doesn't grow up wanting to be a magical princess. The way Lindy was hiding behind a pot of stew was disheartening though. "Do you mind if I heal your hand?"

"Queen Her-mee-oh-ninny should not waste t-t-time on unworthy Lindy."

"I insist," I said, drawing my wand. Lindy cautiously extended her hand, eyes closed as if she didn't want to see me bite it off. "_Aloe esfresca!" _A cool green mist left my wand, sinking into Lindy's hand. In moments the worst of the burn was gone.

Lindy was silent for a moment before abruptly screeching, "Your highness is being most gracious!"

After that things went smoothly. Their gratitude combined with their natural shyness and politeness I was confident they'd keep my secret if indeed they knew it. Meal after bloody-rare meal was brought my way by house-elves that were shocked to see a witch do anything kind for them. The food was all so good that I kept asking for more courses. It was only after a brainfreeze from too much homemade ice cream that I looked at the clock.

'_Bloody hell, 9:00? I've been eating for two hours.' _Strangely, I still felt nearly as hungry as when I'd started, though my stomachs felt rather full. Admittedly I'd stopped dieting after becoming half spider, but I was never _this_ much of a glutton. There had to be some reason for my sudden change in appetite. Oh god, I wasn't molting was I? A surreptitious check under the invisibility cloak revealed no signs of bursting carapace. '_Phew.' _The only other thing that might have changed today besides the long run was…

The ring. That golden, beautiful, marvelously enchanted ring. I should have known it was too good to be true. No artifact that small carried that much power without a price - or a minor or major deity intervening if you believed the old tales. In this case the healing apparently came at the price of endless appetite. Not the sort of thing to wear 24/7 unless I wanted to spend all my time snacking, but it could still be handy on occasion.

Slipping the ring off I felt my appetite ease almost immediately. Letting a touch of magic course over its golden surface the runes once more glimmered on its surface before swiftly fading. I had to wonder if those runes were hiding any other side-effects. Even just the one was enough to drop its resale value immeasurably. My dream of becoming a millionaire before eighteen had basically gone up in smoke.

Glumly I set the ring spinning, only faintly surprised when it failed to stop spinning on the table. Physics, it seemed, held an imperfect hold on it. Somewhat more shocking was the greedy, moderately hypnotized look in Lindy's eyes as she zombie-stepped towards the ring. Swiftly pocketing the ring I watched intently as her expression switched from sinister to bewildered. '_Note to self, don't flash shiny things in front of small humanoids.'_ One such creature attacking me for the ring was quite enough, thank you very much.

Deciding it was time to part I double-checked my illusions and left before she could ask me about the ring. Detouring briefly the grab my books from the dorms I made it to Care of Magical Creatures with seconds to spare. At least I hadn't missed any important classes. I still felt terribly guilty for missing History of Magic, but if I was honest it was hardly as if I'd missed anything important. I'd double up on my reading tonight though, just to be safe.

End 3.1


	9. Chapter 9

3.2

Care of Magical Creatures was… annoying. I was fine with animals of all sorts, really I was. Trekking through the Amazon I might even have seen a few that no one else ever had. In comparison with real-life experiences it was both boring and one-dimensional. Hagrid was a pleasant enough sort, but he wasn't a teacher. Not that I didn't know that from previous year, but I'd stuck with it to stay with my friends.

Said friends had spent the hour alternating between pestering me with questions about where I'd been, quidditch, and a tournament. It was all just so childish that despite trying to listen I started tuning them out. I turned down a trip to the World Quidditch Tournament, why would I be interested in the high school equivalent? '_I'm a bad friend,'_ I mused. I was growing away from them, both in age and interests. Still, with the growing crack in the time turner I was using it less and less. Perhaps it was time to reconnect, maybe come clean about Arda and my transformation and jaunts through time…

Or not. Harry would keep my secret for now, but he was planning on becoming an Auror. Ten years down the line he might decide that the Law was more important than a faded friendship. And Ron, well, if me being half-spider didn't send him running to Dumbledore, the forest full of giant intelligent spiders certainly would. '_Tch, a good murderer running loose and I'd bet we'd bond again well enough.'_

To add insult to injury, today's class might have ruined unicorns for me forever. It was all very nice to start with. The young ones in particular were beautiful and brilliantly shiny, so much so that it felt like I could see their souls shining through their skin. Predictably the boys had a spot of trouble when it came to petting them, but I hadn't anticipated any issues for myself. Unfortunately, and much to Hagrid's consternation, the whole herd gathered together when I stepped forward, elders guarding the foals. The answer came to me after a moment. Unicorns had the ability to see through nearly all illusions, including the ones covering my lower half. They could probably smell something was off too. At least they weren't as bad as dogs. The small ones like chihuahuas in particular tended to attack me the moment they sniffed my legs.

My dissatisfaction over not being able to pet the unicorns was compounded by what would have otherwise been a miraculous event. For the first time ever, the girls of both Gryffindor and Slytherin united. Sadly it was for a not-inconspicuous series of whispers. "Did you see that?" "_Someone's_ not a virgin." "Super-slut." "Have you seen her boobs lately?" "So fake, right?" "Totally. Her face too." "You ever notice how her legs don't always move right? I think she glamoured herself to look taller."

I'd cursed under my breath at that. Daphne was a smart cookie, even if she did use it for evil. I was annoyed with the slut comments, but they'd already been insinuating for some time now. The glamour comment would be harder to live with. Up until today there hadn't been any real proof that I'd been fiddling with my appearance. Even if I did finally get my glamours to be seamless there would be rumors about me for years. I'd considered making some more mature friends amongst the upper years but with these fresh rumors the well would be more poisoned than ever. Maybe it was time to start cultivating a friendship _outside_ of Hogwarts.

I mused on a great many things as I walked to lunch with Harry and Ron. I did my best to keep up with their conversation since I didn't plan on actually sitting down with them (anatomically impossible, though it would be suspicious if I didn't grab a sandwich on my way through) but my mind was somewhere else. I was tempted to just delve further into the spider society of Arda. There were dangers, yes, but so much to learn. Still, I wasn't sure that a bunch of spiders calling me Grandmother constituted the friend I needed. Psychologically it probably wouldn't be entirely healthy. Present circumstances made normal human (particularly non-magical) companionship a bit tricky. Maybe a pen pal?

A giant flaming goblet in the middle of the Great Hall stopped me in my tracks. "Umm, what's up with the chalice?"

Ron and Harry looked up at me (though with Ron growing like a weed he wouldn't be for much longer). "Hermione," said Ron, "did you listen to a single thing we've said?"


	10. Chapter 10

3.3

The United States of America. It was okay, I supposed. Large, a bit dirty, plenty of rib joints for a hungry meat eater like myself. I'd been to a lot of places over the past couple years but it was one country I'd overlooked. No new language to learn and not exotic enough to intrigue. Throw in the higher than average amount of cameras and it wasn't exactly top of the list. Still, after the DADA class with "Mad-Eye" Moody I needed a peaceful vacation. The way he'd tortured that spider had made me want to test his theory that none of us could cast an Avada Kedavra strong enough to cause more than a headache.

I'd left my wand back at Hogwarts to keep from running afoul of Ministry tracking spells. The flight was tricky, and expensive. To make room for my spider half I'd reserved half an aisle in first class. Since I had to stay awake to keep applying wandless glamours the first thing I did on arriving was push the time turner to the limit, providing me twenty-two hours to recover from jet-lag. From there I leisurely wandered New York before journeying into the countryside where I could use the time-turner more freely without fear of paradox.

I used the time turner another seven times before Friday ended. The hum of it's overexertion had me turning it a time or two less each time but it still gave me enough time to hit a fair number of parks and monuments. I changed my hair and eye color occasionally with glamours just in case someone saw me in two different places at the same. After noting a few police officers looking my way I sharpened my cheekbones to look eighteen rather than a kid playing hooky after which my travels were generally peaceful. The number of men trying to hit on the "British chick" was slightly empowering considering my dating life at school but mostly annoying. Every interaction with people limited the time turner's power further.

I considered going back to Hogwarts around midnight but… it was the weekend. The girls would assume I was at the library and would never check. The boys might, but then they'd assume I was holed up in the girl's dorm and be too shy to ask any of the girls. After catching some z's in a campground I headed to the beach. Once I got up to neck-height I didn't have to worry about keeping all the glamours up and could finally relax. I had more magical power than a few years ago but the low level drain of all the glamours could give me a headache after a time.

Buoyed by the glorious day I let the evening fill me with foolhardy courage. "I shouldn't be doing this," I murmured. My legs, however, continued padding forward softly. As a kid I'd read a few sci-fi novels about America's mysterious Area 51. Perhaps that was why I took a detour on the way to a hotel and snuck over a fence. A fence that happened to guard fissionable material. There were guards, but the thing I noticed most about the nuclear power plant was the space. Vast swathes of open land not open to permanent human habitation. It was partly the lack of obvious obstacles that kept me creeping forward.

Harry's stolen (borrowed) cloak wasn't big enough to cover all of me, but thanks to some glamours I'd gotten by several guards and cameras without response thus far. I couldn't cast an invisibility spell with my wand, let alone wandlessly, but I could turn my upper body the color of cement. Luckily, there was a _lot_ of cement around to disguise me.

A simple _alohamora _granted me access to the plant itself, and from there it was nearly a straight shot to the control room. Two donut-eating men sat listlessly at the control, totally oblivious to my presence. Idle predatory instinct had me slide out my fore-feet's claws to rest millimeters from their necks. '_Mice are smarter than these two. How is the human race still alive?'_

Putting away my claws lest they pound the cement, I left the power plant deeply disturbed. I'd entered on a lark, but I hadn't expected it would be that easy to get to the controls. With a little effort even a mediocre wizard could set off a chain reaction in the reactor that could take thousands of lives. Heck, if America's nuclear missiles were as lightly guarded then a simple imperious or two could start WWIII. Potentially the only thing keeping terrorist wizards and witches out was the mind-boggling ignorance purebloods had of muggle technology. Not that many of her muggleborn fellows were much better, having been pulled out of traditional schooling before starting the hard sciences. Still, this was a frightening security hole, a disaster waiting to happen.

Even after I settled under the hotel bed's covers the bogeyman of nuclear war kept me awake. There was no guarantee that the next Dark Lord wouldn't be more tech-savvy than the last. And while Voldemort hadn't utilized muggle assets to do his dirty work, Grindelwald very much _had_. If the Germans had invented the bomb before the US there was no telling what he might have done with it.

Something would have to be done. I'd already decided to do my best to keep Arda from becoming spoiled by expansionist wizards, but this trip had reminded me that the muggle world needed protection as well.

* * *

I was terribly nervous. I could keep five or six legs still but the remaining three would start tapping and shifting, claws occasionally sliding out to scrape the floor. I tried my best to look innocent but the unexplainable sounds were starting to make others in the lobby suspicious. Maybe I should have gone to the CIA instead. Higher chance of ending up in some Black Site interrogation room but at least the meeting would have been more private.

"First time here?" I nearly fell flat on my face when the man spoke up beside me, and that was tough to do with eight legs.

"Umm, yes. You?" I was always more eloquent with kids than with strange adults. Strangely I'd be an adult myself by wizarding standards in another five months or so, though it would be years before my papers would prove that fact.

"Just got hired actually." He was old. At least thirty, I imagined. Sort of handsome though, plenty of light brown hair and a strong jaw.

"You're an agent?" I should have guessed. Hardly anyone in the US had muscles like that unless they were army or law enforcement.

"Ah, no. Just a lowly tech I'm afraid. Name's Dexter Morgan. What brings you to the FBI?"

I hesitated. What I was doing was against one of the strictest of magical laws, and if it wasn't then I was sure the British government would be peeved that I went to the Americans first. In my defense the English magical population was much higher than that of the US and American wizards and witches were notoriously isolationist. I had far less probability of running into undercover aurors here than in my homeland. Even so, I couldn't just blurt things out to the first person I saw. Every person I spoke with was a potential security risk. Still, the line was _really_ long and my time turner wouldn't let me travel into the future. Maybe he could speed me along?

"I have information. I need to speak to the head of the FBI immediately." I tried to sound authoritative but Dexter seemed unwaved.

"Well, I could find you an agent," he replied. "Maybe a special agent if you tell me a bit about your information. Head of the FBI doesn't speak to just anyone though. I don't suppose you're MI6?"

I shook my head. "It really is important though."

He shrugged. "Want some water while you wait?" He gestured towards a water cooler.

"Sure." Gentleman that he appeared to be he immediately moved towards the cooler, at least until an invisible obstacle blocked his way. '_Frikk frikk frikkity frack.' _Even though it was attached to me I wasn't immune to acting like my caboose was nonexistent if I kept it invisible long enough, this time to disastrous effect. Before I could come up with any sort of adequate response he pulled off the invisibility cloak in one go.

'_!'_

_End 3.3_

90% chance this fanfic has a plot.


	11. Chapter 11

Start 3.4

My limbs felt leaden, mind fuzzy with exhaustion. Where was I?

"Hermione Granger?"

I snapped awake, arms and legs pressing against the floor to fling myself upright only for restraints around my arms to unbalance me. Tipping onto my back my legs scrambled for purchase, claws scraping the floor and sending a table flying. Tugging uselessly at the steel I hissed in fear and fury, fangs flashing under the halogen lights.

"Easy! Calm down Hermione, it's me, Dexter."

Dexter? The FBI. I was in - there was a gun pointed at me.

"Don't shoot her," said Dexter. "She's coming around."

The gun was… shocking. Even after being attacked by spells and swords and giant snakes that small barrel had the power to halt me in my tracks. It was a weapon uncommon in the UK but I'd seen it enough in media to understand its power. Witches were more durable than muggles, natural magic protecting them from grievous injury from falls or most diseases. We weren't bulletproof though.

Folding my legs under my arachnoid abdomen I did my best to look nonthreatening. "What happened?" I squeaked. Now that the adrenaline was fading I was reminded of how exhausted and vulnerable I was.

"You don't remember?" asked Dexter. I shook my head. "After you were exposed you let loose a wave of red light that knocked out everyone in the room. The cameras caught everything but I woke up and dragged you out of the room before anyone else saw."

"Please don't tell anyone!" I blurted. "You have to delete the tapes. If the wrong people see what I did terrible things will happen." Mostly to me, but they'd all find themselves with a few missing memories.

"I see," said Dexter. "Well this is Special Agent Wexler and he…" The agent was still pointing the gun at me, muscles stiff and eyes wide. Dexter carefully nudged the gun away from me before ushering the agent out of the room. Dexter whispered to someone just outside the door before coming back with a bemused look on his face. Setting the table back upright he gathered up the scattered papers and pens casually as if totally at ease with the spider-girl. "So, where should we start?"

He was… really cool under pressure. What sort of training did they put their lab techs through anyways? "You're going to delete the tape, right?"

"I think we can probably do that," he replied. He paused as his eyes caught on part of my file. "Your parents are dentists? Is that a normal profession for… your species?"

"I'm human," I hissed, perhaps a bit too defensively. In my defense the laws concerning demihumans (even those coming about from spell accidents) were less than kind. Some of the cases I'd turned up during my recovery from tainted polyjuice in second year were chilling.

"Right." Was he mocking me? "And your purpose for coming to this FBI field office?"

Down to business at last. "I wanted to alert you to the fact that your nuclear plants and missiles are dangerously unprotected against magic users and various supernatural creatures."

For the first time that I'd seen, he blinked. "Can you repeat that?"

"I got into one of your nuclear power plants yesterday with hardly any effort, and I'm only sixteen. Would have been even easier if that invisibility cloak actually fit me. Can I get that back by the way? I sort of umm borrowed it from a friend and I'm still using it and…" I was rambling again. I should have just stuck to the basics, not mentioned I was sixteen and needed the cloak. Not only did it give them bargaining power but now they'd think I faked my birth records.

There was a glimmer in Dexter's eyes that worried me. For the most part (excluding his muscles) he seemed an easy-going lab-tech just like he claimed; but at times it felt like there was another persona hiding just beneath the surface.

"Are you confessing or was there another point to all this?" asked Dexter.

"I was just testing the security," I said hastily. "I didn't do anything bad. But there are terrorists at large with more magic than me that could at any time. The only thing stopping them is that most wizards are dead-ignorant about muggle, err, non-magical sciences. Lucius wouldn't know a nuke if it bit him on the arse." I blushed at my own use of a curse. I really had to get over that now that I was busy saving worlds.

"Wizards?"

Did he plan on repeating stuff I said often? "Yes, wizards and witches and werewolves and dementors that can suck out your soul." Frankly I thought being half-spider was enough proof of the supernatural but I could tell he still needed convincing. "_Lumos." _A sphere of not-light hovered over my hand, casting the room into shifting shadow. A bit more threatening than my old, normal lumos, but I felt it did the job. "Believe me now?"

His pencil cracked. "Yes, I believe I do."

"Good, because if I don't get back to Scotland soon some very dangerous people might come looking for me. First they'll wipe all your memories and then they'll toss me in jail for the rest of my life - or worse. So, can I go now?"

"Give me a moment." He left the room for ten minutes before returning with his hand obscured by Harry's invisibility cloak and the keys to my cuffs. "You're free to go. We would like to speak with you again soon though."

I was hesitant but I didn't want to risk staying in handcuffs. "Sure. Just send the mail to my parents and they'll make sure it gets to me. And make sure you're careful who you tell about this. Not everyone is who you think they are."

Three hours later I was on a plane headed back to Scotland. '_Mission accomplished.'_


	12. Chapter 12

4.0

I was a little disappointed that Harry and Ron didn't question my absence when I got back. Too many distractions I supposed. They'd discovered girls in force this year. Harry kept trailing after Cho like a lost puppy and Ron was quite incapable of maintaining eye contact with me longer than a few seconds without either turning red or sneaking peeks at my bosom - or some combination of the two. I would have thought he'd have noticed my chest missing if nothing else but I wasn't the only girl in the castle. I was pretty much the only one to willingly talk to him though. Thankfully Ron's new appreciation for misogynistic comments hadn't passed to Harry yet.

While slightly peeved that Harry felt Cho had something I didn't have, Ron's attentions annoyed me the most. From my travels and, for that matter, my time at Hogwarts, leers and more cultured examinations of my form were not unknown to me. Unfortunately with Ron I felt neither appreciative or angry, just a vague sense of pity for a little unmuscled and lazy boy pining for something he'd never have. I wasn't sure my feelings were justified or stemmed from a 'only wanting someone who doesn't want me' sort of thing. Or maybe I was just getting arrogant from being so much older and smarter than my peers.

Despite my romantic frustrations and a sociopathic DADA teacher that felt turning a student into a ferret was a good idea, Monday lifted my spirits considerably. After a long, tiresome brewing, my illegal polyjuice potion was finished. Infused with my own hairs preserved from before my animagus issues it should transform me back to my human form. Well, temporarily at least.

Filling a small water bottle with a portion of the potion I set the cauldron's stasis function to active for the rest. I was reluctant to take the first gulp, contemplating the risks as I headed back to the dorms. Once burned twice shy and all that. If I wasn't worried what he might do with my body I'd consider using Ron as a guinea pig. "I'm a gryffindor." I drew the curtains around my bed and swallowed a dose of potion that tasted even worse than I remembered.

"It's working!" It was a bit uncomfortable like I was being stuffed into too small a space but it was _working! _I let the invisibility cloak and glamours fall in time to see my lower body turn flesh-colored. I giggled and fell onto my bed as my shrinking hind-legs destroyed my balance. Seconds later I was practically purring as I discovered I had toes again, cute and wiggly little toes.

'_Frikk, I _am _purring.' _Upon finding my ears had shifted up my head and shifted into cat ears I immediately rushed to the bathroom. Perversely it was the sudden addition of a tail that kept me from losing my balance on only two legs. Reaching the mirror my fears were confirmed by two golden cat eyes staring back at me.

"Oh come on," I hissed. "I'm a good potion brewer. It should not be this hard to make a polyjuice potion." Technically the potion was perfect just like last time, it was just the application I had trouble with. I wasn't sure what caused the issue this time. It was possible that magic dwelled in hair for months like some drugs and poisoned. If so the hair I'd retrieved off my brush might still have been affected by the first polyjuice potion. If that was the case I was screwed since I'd added the hairs to the cauldron itself rather than a small portion like in second year. I'd have to brew a whole new pot if I wanted to fix it, and that assumed I could find some hair of mine that wasn't tainted with felinity. If it was some other reason I had no way of fixing it which meant I was also screwed.

At least I wasn't covered in fur like last time, save for that on my ears and tail. I was a much more human-looking catgirl this time around. I wondered if Crookshanks would come near me again now that I was like this. Alas, he'd probably just get freaked out and treat me like a panther. '_Hmm.'_ My eyes returned to their normal round shape as I calmed, gold darkening to a deep brown. My fangs were roughly the same as they were in my half-spider body and -

"Holy frikk. I'm thirteen again." Even though I was distracted by being part cat I had no idea how I missed that. Shorter, smaller breasts, somewhat annoyingly high-pitched voice if I got too worked up… I did not relish being thirteen again. Far from containing leftover magic, that hair might have actually been leftover from the polyjuice incident itself. Either that or the screwup had left such an imprint on me that any use of polyjuice would revert me back to this form.

My cat ears picked up the sound of girls coming up the staircase sooner than my human ones would have which was the only thing that saved me. Rushing back to my bed I threw my robes on over the oversized muggle clothes I was wearing. If my shorts fell off my once-again slender hips I'd be covered, but arguably more importantly the robes covered my tail. Barely remembering where it was I put on my pointed witch hat that only the pureblood girls wore regularly. My ears struggled against the confines but finally laid flat just as the girls funneled into the dorm. I tried to remain calm to keep my eyes from changing.

"Is that Hermione?" asked Parvati.

"It is! We caught her this time!" shouted Lavender. "I told you she's been using glamours to make herself look better."

"You're so right," said Abigail. "She looks like a little bushy-headed kid without them, doesn't she." That was a little much. Even before the time turner I was the oldest in the class which meant even as a fourth-year they weren't much older than my body was now.

"She won't try stealing Trevor from me once everyone finds out she's just a flat-chested wannabe." Like her B-cups were _sooo_ impressive. And who the heck was Trevor, anyways? I didn't know if it was the shock or the younger body was affecting my self-control but my eyes were starting to burn. Whether it was tears or my eyes becoming feline again I didn't know but I kept them downcast, which unfortunately made me look more guilty than ever. The enforced calm I'd felt in my other body and the certitude I was better than them and they were all just jealous was rapidly tearing to shreds.

Lavender shot a charm at my clothes that painted the word '**Liar**' on my hat. The other girls joined, adding '**Slut**', '**Whore**', and '**Tramp**' to where my breasts used to be. This was the final straw that sent me running from the room. Through some stroke of luck I didn't trip over my ill-fitting robes until after I reached the bottom of the stairs. Still, as I picked myself up from the floor of the common room I wondered if death via stairs might have been merciful. Ever single witch and wizard in the common room was staring me. Oh god, Harry and Ron were there too.

I hiked up my robes, hands tight to my sides to keep the shorts from slipping. Not daring to look up again I rushed out of the common room as it exploded into accusations, gossip and assorted chitter-chatter, all about me. Even though my weak human legs burned with the effort I kept running all the way to the roof and leaped through the rift.

Once I was in Arda I kept moving though at a slower pace. I wasn't walking with any purpose in mind, I just needed to get a way. The spiders in the woods might have been nice company but I couldn't go there looking like this. Despite all the commotion I'd somehow kept ahold of the bottle full of polyjuice though now it felt like it was mocking me. All that work and all it had done was make everything so much worse.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N - Everybody hated the last chapter but it did happen for a reason. Also just noticed there was an issue with her clothing randomly appearing but since everyone hated the chapter regardless I'll leave it as it is.

4.1

I came to a sort of peace by the riverbank. While tempted to pull a Huckleberry Finn and float down the river on a raft I recognized that as being a very irresponsible idea. My emotions in this form were a touch harder to control but ultimately even back when I'd actually been thirteen I was a rational individual… mostly.

While I'd likely enjoy the meditative aspect of river rafting I was hardly well equipped for it. I knew a spell for producing clean, drinkable water, but food was out of my league. Not to mention I didn't have an inexhaustible supply of polyjuice potion and I wasn't sure how well I could swim in my half-arachnid body. And even if everything went perfectly I'd still have to walk on the way back and explain where I'd been if the journey took longer than twenty-six hours or so (roughly the maximum amount I could use the time-turner before it grew hot to the touch).

And so, after a few temporary magical alterations to my clothes to clean and adjust their size and another swallow of polyjuice I headed back through the portal. I shivered as the wind atop the tower hit me in force, forcing me to hurry inside. Even there it wasn't what most would call warm, the stone sucking away heat eagerly. It was almost enough to wish I had fur after all.

I meandered through the empty halls, not yet ready to return to the dorms but without much else to do. I'd long ago completed the reading for this year's courses as well as the next so the library was less than appealing. It was probably closed anyways. I wasn't sure exactly what time it was but Madam Pince tended to close the library early on Sunday nights despite that being the night most students actually wanted to use it.

Coincidence or my stomach drew me to the Great Hall. Dinner was long gone but the Goblet remained. A magical device that I'd heard was meant to choose the participants for a tournament. The winner was promised fame, glory, and 1000 galleons. It was a silly medieval thing that a bit of research while waiting for the potion to finish had revealed was the cause of a number of student deaths. This Triwizard tournament was supposed to be safer but considering the danger previous years at Hogwarts had brought me I had my doubts. Still…

It was a foolish idea. Childish fantasy really. Even so I found myself wondering what it would be like to win. The spending money would offer me plenty of new opportunities but I wasn't sure that was the most important prize. If I was to win, to show I was the strongest muggleborn witch - no, the strongest _student of magic_ in three countries then they'd have to respect me.

My parents often said not to worry if other students didn't like me. That school was just a passing thing, that the real world was only a step away and success there would make up for all the travails of childhood. I had to disagree. Perhaps it was foolish to worry about the respect of inbred English wizards and witches in a backwoods school in Scotland but I was stuck here for four more years if I didn't find a way to graduate early. Four years of life wasn't nothing.

I approached the goblet warily, then more swiftly as I felt the fire warm my bones. There was a circle on the floor around it for some reason. There was a brief resistance as I stepped across it but it swiftly faded. A test of magical potential, perhaps? I shrugged and drew a slip of paper from the notepad in my pocket. _Hermione Jean Granger,_ I wrote. With only a brief hesitation I tossed it into the goblet, fire searing upwards to claim it.

It felt good to do something proactive about my school life. I had fun exploring Arda and felt important during my quest to secure U.S. nukes from terrorist magic-users but for all my extra-curriculars I still spent a lot of time at Hogwarts. It made sense to try and make my experience here a little more liveable.

While the tournament offered a chance to change things if I was chosen to participate it didn't alter the state of things right now. I had no wish to greet my peers until the clamor about my transformation died down. My instincts about Arda were right, I felt. A little trip was just what the doctor ordered, but not by raft. Now that my hindquarters could fit on a broom again it was time to explore Arda much more thoroughly.

End Scene

A/N This is basically the end of the prologue. Some serious changes to canon from here on out (as if the consumption of the dwarves and Bilbo wasn't a clue).


	14. Chapter 14

4.2

I ended up following the river after all, albeit a few up off its surface. It was the only way I dared use the antiquated broomstick. Even if I wasn't paranoid about flying broomsticks suddenly becoming normal everyday broomsticks midair the way it jittered and swayed randomly would have made me nervous. Thus I flew at a moderate pace just above the water to maintain maximum safety.

While it was largely for safety reasons, it was also common sense to follow the river's path. Rivers tended to run into the sea and there were few places more amenable to civilization than the banks of a river by the sea. I was deadly curious to see what form it might take. Seriously, the curiosity was driving me to claw at the wood. My surprisingly sharp fingernails were leaving divots in the wood and I could swear the broom was not liking it but I kept doing it. I suspected it was a cat thing.

It was obvious that this world was less developed than Earth. No roads save for one dirt path at a ford I passed that could have been made by wild cattle or the like; no dams or airplanes overhead or exhaust fumes from cars and factories carried across the world by the wind. Still, that didn't preclude the possibility of some advanced, isolated society of sapients somewhere in Arda that either hadn't invented combustion technology or had moved beyond it.

I half hoped it was giant spiders. As much fun as it would be to uplift the talking spiders living in the woods I was also interested in what sort of technology and culture they'd come up with naturally. Still, part of me still had a soft spot for humanoids. That little bitey dwarfy-elfy creature I'd thrown in the river before had left a sour taste in my mouth but it might not be the only humanoid on Arda. The items it had carried were far too fine for any of its species to create. With their small stature and speed its species likely excelled at thieving from some other, smarter species. I just had to find them.

After another disgusting sip of polyjuice I munched on some cheese I'd taken from the kitchens. I urged the broom to go faster as I passed over a vast marsh. I was starting to realize just how _big_ a world was when I didn't have access to cars and airplanes and trains. The worn-out cushioning charms built into the broom didn't help anything either. I really needed to learn apparition one of these days. Though that did run the risk of my screwed-up magic splitting me into a million tiny pieces…

While it was night at Hogwarts it was early morning here. The mists were burning off and I could see vast sky-scraping mountains to the right and an infinite expanse of trees to the left. I'd have to visit those mountains someday, they were too impressive not to experience in person. I was ninety percent sure it was fall in Arda though and it would be viciously cold that high up. Then again, skiing down those virgin slopes might be fun. A little time-turner use and I could learn how to ski by tuesday. Hopefully the going rates on ski instructors wasn't too high.

While the mountains were beautiful it was the forest that truly drew me. I could tell there were wonders yet to be discovered in there, a vast untouched wilderness waiting to be explored. I wondered if the spiders nested throughout or if there were areas even they dared not tread.

Another two hours passed and the knapsack full of goodies I'd tied to the end of the broom was rapidly depleting. The broom itself had grown no more comfortable with time but it was nothing compared to the itching restriction of my own body. Each hour spent under the influence of the potion made me more cognizant that _this was not my skin._ It was clear that I'd have to complete my animagus training if I wanted to permanently walk on two legs again. The too-small body I was stuffed into felt more and more like a tiny coffin over my real body.

I took one last sip of polyjuice before putting the half-full bottle back in the knapsack. One more hour and then I was taking a break, assuming I didn't turn around by then. I'd gone a good hundred miles or so already and come across nothing but otters and deer. My only discovery was that I was likely in the northern hemisphere since after traveling due south for hours it had warmed up considerably. Of course with varying weather and the midday sun I couldn't be too sure. I felt I really should start mapping Arda. I wondered how the radius of this planet compared to Earth. If it was the same it would add credence to the theory the portal involved a temporal rather than spatial or dimensional shift.

My breath caught as I looked up from deep waters of the river to see a mass of gold. Drawing closer it resolved into millions of golden leaves, impossibly luminous. I slowed as I neared the golden wood. It was a beautiful sight, and full of life as well. Unlike the dark woods to the left of the river this forest was far from shy. It grew right up to the river, squirrels dancing through the branches as the occasional nut fell into the waters below.

I came upon a turning point after a time. The main river continued alongside the forest while a tributary flowed down from its depths. I supposed it was worth a looksy. If I found a little glen amidst the ancient gold-leafed trees it would be perfect for a picnic. With a light heart I altered course, broom headed up the smaller river.

"Aiyeeeh!" I cried as a net fell atop me. I struggled and fell into the river, broomstick almost eager to cast me off. I struggled as the waters rose above me, unable to swim with my limbs bound. Then as my fear hit its summit I felt myself lifting - no, being lifted. Upside down and drenched I was met by a pair of remarkable eyes framed by silver hair.

"_Mana gar- mín hi?"_

End 4.2

A/N

"_Mana gar- mín hi?" → What have we here?_

Hmm, this is now my longest fanfic. Unfortunately far from the most popular.

Is it just me or is my chapter spacing entirely arbitrary?


	15. Chapter 15

The tall and ethereal humanoid was soon joined by others as they hauled into the trees. It was only by comparison to the others that I realized my original captor was male. While remarkably human-looking for an alien species there were a number of small differences. They seemed in general both taller and slimmer than most humans, with somewhat less sexual dimorphism. They were almost uniformly beautiful, though not precisely what I would call sexy. Their pointed ears and the glow to their skin gave them a certain exoticness though.

It occurred to me that it might be a good idea to draw my wand and escape. Still, a number of things were dissuading me. For one I wasn't entirely sure I would succeed. Many of them carried bows and looked like they knew how to use them. Also it would be a bit silly to immediately run away from the very thing I'd been searching so hard for. Judging by their use of tools and the complicated sounds they were making they were intelligent creatures that had at least formed tribes if not some larger civilization. Strangely the language sounded oddly familiar, though with the amount of traveling I'd done in recent years that wasn't so strange. I'd heard at least a snippet of dozens of languages and there were only so many sounds out there that could be made.

I moved my estimation of them up a tick as the surprisingly strong creatures carried me deeper into the woods, their foots steady and sure on as they raced along the branches. Soon realizing that some of the trees formed living, elegant houses I was forced into a new perception of their civilization as well. These were not nomadic hunter-gatherers by any means. While I had yet to see any corn-fields I did pick out a few herb gardens as we moved deeper into the tree city.

I wondered what to call them. Fae or faeries tempted me. They no doubt had their own name for themselves but I was impatient to call them something other than creatures and there was no guarantee it would translate into English well anyways. '_Elfs,'_ I decided. Like tall Santa elfs rather than the ratty-looking house elves of the magical world.

My stomach dropped as they started moving upwards rather than horizontally. The elfs ascended up an endless staircase as I dangled off the edge inside the net. After a seemingly interminable climb we reached a plateau, the elves taking up another rope so that I hung suspended between them as they left the staircase. It kept me too far away from each sentinel to claw them while graciously not dragging me along the ground.

I said ground but it was hard to believe that I was actually touching stone. We were hundreds of feet above the actual ground but they'd actually build a palace up here. It was hard to imagine the care and industry it would take to create such a place. Hard to imagine there were trees in existence that could hold the weight.

When I saw who the arboreal palace was made for I began understand why they made the effort. The elfen queen took my breath away, the golden circlet she wore no match for her hair that shone like captured sunlight. Her eyes were blue and clear like a cloudless sky, hiding just as many wonders. Her face and skin reminded me of polished marble, smooth and as ageless as the Earth. I'd never thought myself attracted to the fairer sex before but she was testing that point sorely.

The budding affection I felt for her soon drowned in an ocean of jealousy as my captors all kneeled before her, dropping me and the net around me to the ground as they did. I'd enjoyed my slow ascension towards being the queen bee of Hogwarts but this elf had just reminded me of what a petty aspiration that was. I recognized a certain part of myself wanted to be her, to have subjects bow to me. Unfortunately not even in my wildest fantasies could I imagine growing up to be so beautiful as she.

Her eyes gazed deep into my own, affixing me to the ground. I felt a buzzing in my mind and then suddenly she reeled back, clutching her head. The elfen guards readied their bows, arrows drawn back and pointed in my direction. Unsure of what just happened I tried to look peaceful. I raised my hands, palms out, but soon realized this might give the wrong impression. My hat had fallen off at some point and combined with my claw-like fingernails and my enforced crouch inside the netting I probably looked like a feral half-animal rather than a peaceful adventurer.

"_Calm_," she said. Or at least I thought she did. It was still in their lyrical language but while it was likely pure lunacy I increasingly felt I was understanding it. "_It was *&amp;^^ *&amp;^* fault._" The guards backed off a bit but their bows stayed out.

My mind raced to try and find a way to defuse the situation. Shooting spells would just get me killed but it wasn't like I could talk them down. Even if I magically _did _understand some of what they were saying that didn't mean I could speak it back to them. Body language had already betrayed me once so I was ill-inclined to try pantomime unless I had to. '_Gift-giving.' _That was it, the key to get out of this mess. It was more universal than a white flag or even a nod meaning yes. The rules varied as to what gifts should be given when and why and how but ultimately any intelligent species should recognize it as a show of respect or friendship… or possibly weakness, but it might be good to underplay my strength for the moment.

Reluctantly I drew the only suitable gift I had out of my pocket. The ring would fetch a small (possibly large) fortune on the magical market and I still dearly wanted to study the runes that showed up when it healed me but it was the only thing of value I had on me besides my wand. '_Darn, the polyjuice fell into the river with the broomstick. I need to get out of here fast.' _With no more ado I slowly and unthreateningly placed the ring on the floor outside my net and gently pushed it towards the elf queen as far as my arm would stretch.

She acted far more interested in the gift than I would have ever hoped, seemingly unable to take her eyes off of it. It was a bit odd considering she already had an elaborate gold circlet. It was hardly as if it were some unknown metal or fancy airship. Perhaps she was a magic-user as well and could see the enchantment on it? Hopefully she didn't notice the gluttony side effect until she'd gotten nice and fat. No mortal deserved to be so ridiculously beautiful, it just wasn't fair to everyone else.

I noticed that she wasn't the only elf staring at the ring. Every elf in the open-air palace was fixated on that little golden trinket. I rubbed my ears as I heard a whisper in some guttural tongue that seemed have no source. Unable to determine where it was coming from I decided to ignore it and plan my escape while the elfs were distracted. I drew my wand, an idea swiftly coming to mind. "Accio flying broomstick," I said under my breath. Carried by the river it was likely quite some distance away by now but I'd been riding it for hours. Through the familiarity principle that should be enough to summon it even though I'd 'borrowed' it from the school broom closet.

The other elfs seemed more envious than obeisant as their Queen bent and picked up the ring between two graceful. The glow of her skin brightened but her eyes grew darker in comparison, sky-blue turning to the darkness of space. "_&amp;*# give this to me freely?" _she asked. I nodded, nervous now as I felt magic or something like it pour from her. She'd moved the ring to her palm, tracing the edge of it with one finger.

It was then that I noticed she already wore a ring. It appeared silver, an ornamental flower atop it with clear-white gems as its petals. As I watched the gems swiftly turned dark and cloudy. "_Where #$% you find it?" _she asked, still speaking that alien but strangely understandable language.

I was saved from answering by the broomstick whistling towards me. A quick severing curse and I was scurrying out of the net. As I grabbed onto the broom with one hand it pulled me the rest of the way out, dragging me over the cobblestones until I started to gain altitude. The elves shrieked and let loose their arrows. "Barrera Maxima!" I shouted back, interlocking hexagonal shields forming a quarter-sphere behind me. The maximum strength spell made me feel like I'd just sprinted a hundred yards but it was worth it as the arrows bounced off it. A few of the six-inch wide hexagons shattered but the majority held until I was well past their maximum range.

A/n This was basically the first scene I thought of when thinking of writing this fic.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N - I wasn't able to find a map of middle earth with a scale but a line from the second Hobbit movie I was rewatching gave me a clue. "Two hundred miles north or 400 south" to get around Mirkwood which implies the 100 miles to get to Lothlorien was much too low. I've decided to split the difference and say it was closer to 150 miles and Hermione misjudged how fast she was going.

P.S. I bet y'all thought I'd have the ring turn her evil, didn't'cha.

4.4

With a show of feline grace I swung myself up onto the broom. I was almost thankful for the werewolf attack last year since it was the reason I knew that spell. Nearly getting ripped limb from limb convinced me to thoroughly practice some defensive spells rather than just focus on theory and acing my classes. That particular spell was designed to block strong physical hits that would pierce right through other shield spells. It wasn't designed for repeated hits though and it was only my high retreating velocity that had allowed it success.

Thinking about it I had to admit that Harry was a large part of why my practical spells had suffered in the first place. I'd been a bit annoyed when I was younger that his spells always turned out stronger even though I cast mine perfectly. Frankly it still annoyed me but now that I had an extra couple years on him the difference in our magical core strength was less significant. I hadn't actually tested that since becoming part spider though… Well, even if my altered magic had made the barrier spell dark purple instead of the light green it had been when I first learned the spell it had worked just fine.

I wouldn't call the encounter with the elfs a success but it wasn't precisely a failure. I doubted they'd consider me their mortal enemy or any- "EEEK!" I was much, much higher than I was comfortable with. Even if my feline traits helped me land on my feet it wouldn't do any good from so great a height. Though still wary of the elfs below I started descending. The moment I reached the river I dropped further still, and not a moment too soon as I felt my hindquarters burst out of my robes as I became an octaped once more. I maintained my balance for about three seconds before tumbling end over end into the river.

The water churned around me, tearing the broom from my grasp. I thought I'd be swept away as well but my leg-claws speared into the pebbled riverbed and held me firm, legs extending until I reached a height of eight feet and my head broke the surface. From there I proceeded like an ice climber, one spiked foot after another carrying my up onto the bank opposite the golden forest. Learning to swim could wait for calmer waters, I was taking no chances here.

I basked in the sunlight for a time. Normally I found the sun to be a bit too bright ever since I became part spider but I relished it now as it warmed my wet robes. The slight stinging the light caused my skin and eyes was a small price to pay for the warmth. The sounds of horns across the river had me moving again all too shortly though. An eight-footed lope carried me swiftly across the plains, the dark spider woods perhaps twenty miles distant. "Accio broomstick."

It didn't come. Either my familiarity with it was gone now that I was in my real body or the river had broken it into bits. Either that or it had used its extremely limited sentience and decided I was bad news. It was a long way back to Hogwarts without a broom...

The wet robes kept catching on my spider-knees as I ran. Deciding that they weren't doing me any good I took the time turner out before casting them off. I had too long a journey ahead of me to carry around dead weight. A drying charm and a reversal of the transfiguration I'd done on my shirt and bra and I was feeling much more appropriately dressed for the occasion. My tattered shorts were completely ruined by my latest transformation but with the polyjuice potion lost in the river it wasn't like I'd be needing them any time soon.

Much more comfortably dressed I pondered which way to go. Following the river would keep me from getting lost and was a source of fresh water but left me in plain view if any elfs followed. The forest of spiders on the other hand would be more difficult to navigate but I might meet some friends along the way.

My deliberation was cut short as I spotted something moving through the tall grasses. I backpedaled as I realized it was no simple animal, but a small humanoid much like the one that had injured me after I saved it from the spiders. His beard resembled tree roots, scraggly and full of dirt. I saw insects and birds crawling in his beard and hair and nearly threw up as I saw a cricket leap from his mouth. It was clear this one was just as unhinged as the last one.

I ran backwards with surprising speed in the direction of the elfs I'd just escaped but the small creature kept barreling towards me through the grass. My control of my eight legs failed me as one struck a gopher hole. Tumbling backwards I barely retained the presence of mind to draw my wand and fire a stunner.

It went wide as he dodged with surprising agility. Unable to run any further with my legs all muddled up I prepared to cast another stunning spell. Shockingly I felt foreleg break as a concussive blast of air struck it. I reeled back, casting "Protego!" as I released that the stick he was holding was in fact a wizard's staff like Merlin of old.

My human torso resting against the ground I noticed frightfully that he wasn't nearly so small as he'd seemed now that he wasn't slouching. There was a palpable presence to him that made him seem even greater still. Continuing his charge he burst through the shield with one blow of his staff, a flash of light half blinding me. I shielded my head with my arms, wary of the blow to come, but the only thing that hit me was a spray of hot liquid.

I opened my eyes to see his pain-stricken face in front of mine. He gasped for breath, flecks of blood on his lips. Looking down I was horrified to see one of my own spider-talons in his lung. Not only that, now that I wasn't paralyzed with terror I could actually feel him hanging off it. Hurriedly I retracted the talon only to realize that that only made things worse.

"Just hold on, I can fix this." I'd never healed anything remotely so life-threatening but I had to try. The pain of my broken leg was nothing compared to my need to heal him before he expired. "Episk…" The spell died on my lips. I could see something inside him that wasn't read. Past the blood and bone and gristle was something bright and hot. "_What are you?"_ I hissed, unknowingly falling into the tongue of spiders. I wasn't sure whether I was speaking to him or the thing I saw inside.

&amp;* Rated M for gore *&amp;

A forgotten memory surfaced as I bent closer to his chest. I'd seen something like this before, a white-blue orb of fire and light that made my mouth water. Saliva dripped from my fangs as his inner light spread from a tiny ball out along through his arteries in an attempt to heal the damage. The last time I'd encountered such a thing it had been in the belly of freshly-fed dementors but this was infinitely more grand in comparison. And this time I wouldn't be interrupted.

My animagus transformation-strengthened hands sank into his wound and ripped his ribs open wide. His blood was hot on my chin as I drank and devoured. His _fëa _burnt my lips and throat like hard liquor but I couldn't get enough. It roiled in his blood and lungs, attempting to escape its prison of flesh, but my tongue and fangs followed it relentlessly. I kept devouring until all his light was gone and then kept going for some time thereafter.

*&amp;* End chap *&amp;*

A/N And so dies Radagast as he rushes to Galadriel to warn her of Dol Guldur. In all fairness Hermione might have done him a favor.


	17. Chapter 17

5.0

It felt a little like waking up as my mind was released from the instincts that bound it. My tummy felt bloated with the glut of flesh I'd fed it. I wanted to throw up but was too shocked-still to even do that. It wouldn't have done much good anyways. I could tell some of my meal, some of _him_ had already moved down into my second stomach. There was no changing the fact that I'd killed and eaten something that looked entirely too human.

I'd mistaken him for the same sort of creature as the ring-bearer from before but as he'd hung off my talon he'd looked more like that homeless man I saw in London than anything else. There was no confirming his species now. There was hardly anything left of him but tooth-marked bone and rags.

Perversely while my human stomach was having trouble digesting, the rest of me felt energized and strong. Even my broken foreleg had reset itself, carapace cracked and sore but mending. As I rose to my feet I could swear I was even a few inches taller. It felt wrong to benefit from doing something so horrid but my body disagreed, mouth watering as I remembered the light I found inside him. I could see the light everywhere now, hidden in every bird and bee and scurrying mouse. They were dim flecks, a grain of sand against the ocean of fire contained within the being I'd eaten. I had a suspicion they were souls. Was I part dementor now too?... I couldn't think about this any longer.

Another shock met me as I trudged to the river to clean myself. There was no blood to clean off, no stain on my hands to furiously scrub away. The second thing I noticed after realizing the color wasn't from dried blood was that my skin was now the shade of caramel, halfway betwixt the pale white skin I was born with and the impossibly black carapace of my spider half. It was a petty thing to be worried about in comparison to everything else but it felt like another small part of me had slipped away.

I grabbed the timeturner and flipped it twice before sanity could stop me in a desperate attempt to reverse what I'd done. Rather than the now-familiar sense of time twisting backwards on itself I hissed as melting metal burned my hand. Tossing away the sparking device I licked my hand to relieve the burn. Sparks began to set the grass afire until a swift Aguamenti spell put it out. Peering at the soaked ground I picked out the melted and utterly ruined form of the time turner.

"..." There were no words I could utter to express what I was feeling. I'd done something that I couldn't undo and now I'd lost the tool that I'd been reliant on for so long. Once more I was fully subject to causality and the inexorable onward push of time. No more midday trips to Europe or hour-long naps during bathroom breaks… no more innocence.

I ran then, favoring my healing leg but still moving swiftly along the riverbank. The path was much longer than I'd thought it by broom but my recent meal provided me with all the energy I needed. Miles and miles passed as I ran until the sun fell and then kept going. When I finally reached the portal the sharpest edges of the trauma had eased, dulled under the steady beat of my legs against dirt for hours upon hours.

The dawn had just come at Hogwarts, several hours ahead of Arda. Though I wasn't yet ready to face a new day I had no choice. No longer did I have the ability to bend time as it pleased me, only the ability to change myself to meet the demands of the day.

Hoping that none would look too closely in the early morning I cast the best illusion spells I could over my spider half and rushed through the halls. I was all too aware of what a poor illusion it was without the invisibility cloak to aid me. My upper half brought no comfort either since most of my experience with glamours was in fabrics, making my invisible spider legs look like a floor-length skirt. Thus I was unable to change my skin color even temporarily. There wasn't enough black students at Hogwarts for me not to stick out but hopefully with the foreign students here for the tournament they'd assume I was a stranger at first glance or there would be a whole new set of malicious rumors about me.

In a surprising change of luck I made it to my cauldron's hiding place unaccosted. Drawing up another water bottle full of polyjuice I took a deep sip of the bitter drink. The feeling of getting stuffed into a body too small for me was more uncomfortable than ever but I endured. A little transfiguration later and my t-shirt stretched into a peasant dress. It was still a bit breezier wear than I wanted especially for the chill castle but it kept me decent enough.

It was nearly breakfast, I remembered. Food was the furthest thing from my mind but the announcement of the Triwizard champions was this morning and it would be a shame to miss it. Forcing a misleading smile on my face I headed to the great hall, setting an illusion of a witch hat over my furred ears just in time.

End 5.0

A/N Well, looks like I've scared most people off, down to one or two hundred readers now. Almost did the Dol Goldur arc here but decided to do an arc at Hogwarts first.


	18. Chapter 18

5.A

I settled in at the very end of the gryffindor table, sipping at a glass of milk to calm my nerves as the great hall slowly filled with students. In a rare show of good sense and diplomacy, Harry and Ron sat with me without saying anything about the incident in the common room yesterday.

"You should have been there Hermione, the World Cup could even make a quidditch-hater like you learn to love the game," said Ron.

"Even just being there was neat," said Harry. "We set camp in some muggle's field that the authorities kept obliviating every time he saw something he shouldn't." "Which was like all the time," cut in Ron. Harry continued, "And it turns wizard tents are waaay bigger on the inside. Shame those Death Eaters ruined things the end, torturing muggles and muggleborn like that."

I wasn't sure how I'd missed such a big piece of news as that. Not that I hadn't been busy, but Death Eaters making such a high-profile statement was highly significant. They'd been dormant or defunct for over a decade and now suddenly they were doing this? Still, it was what Harry said before that that truly worried me. How much difference really was there between government-loving purebloods like Ron and halfbloods like Harry and the Death Eaters they fought? I'd been so eager to leave my loneliness behind that I'd seen the wizarding world through rose-colored glasses for a couple years but it was clear to me now that their policy of memory-raping any muggle that looked at them funny should be far more unforgivable than Avada Kedavra. It made people not-themselves without them ever even knowing they'd been violated. Ron was one thing but Harry hadn't been raised to this culture. Hadn't stopped him from drinking the Kool-aid though.

While I wanted to debate and correct their thinking on the subject I was a bit wary of the Weasley family's close connection to the Ministry of Magic. If my political views reached the wrong ears I might get put on a watch list that might lead to them uncovering that I'd informed the American FBI of the existence of magic. Even if I wasn't currently a demi-human that was enough to get me thrown in Azkaban for life or have my soul sucked out of me straight away - employing soul-sucking demons was another policy I strongly disagreed with for that matter.

So instead I said nothing, humming a sort of agreement as the continued blathering on about quidditch. '_Dementors…' _Though I wished it hadn't, the name raised a theory of mine to mind. I wanted to just repress it but if I was to control this urge of mine to consume souls when in my natural form then I had to understand it. Thinking back to the burning I'd felt when Harry's stag patronus scattered the dementors a question slipped from my lips. "Harry, does your patronus feel hot to the touch?"

"No? It just looks like it's burning. It feels slightly warm and comforting."

"Oh, gotcha." I was the only one that felt like it was searing my skin off then. Strangely that had been before my animagus training but perhaps I'd been unconsciously in touch with my other form even then. I was once again curious just what type of spider I might be. Supposedly no animagus transformed into a magical creature but I didn't match any spider I'd seen in the muggle world and this new revelation suggested there was some linked ancestry between dementors and myself. Unless it was some creature from Arda I was starting to think my animagus form was that of some type of demon spider. Actually… the two ideas might not be mutually exclusive.

As a time-traveling witch that had repeatedly stepped through an interstellar or interdimensional rift I couldn't rule anything out. Well, with the possible exception of casting Expecto Patronum or a proper Lumos spell ever again. "Oh, I think it's starting," I said, pointing out Dumbledore.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for." He swung his wand, candles dimming. "The Champion selection." He strode to the goblet, red fire turning green as it spat forth a slip of paper. "The Durmstrang Champion is… **Viktor Krum!**" I tried to see him but even the Hogwarts students were rising to cheer and I lacked the necessary height in my polyjuiced body to see over them.

"He was the seeker for Bulgaria during the World Cup you know," said Ron excitedly. "There was no way it was going to be anyone else. Can you believe he's only eighteen?" '_Man crush much?"_

Dumbledore's voice bellowed out again. "And for Beauxbatons… **Fleur Delacour!**" I caught a brief glimpse of silvery-blonde hair before she was similarly obscured by those applauding. The cheer seemed just as enthusiastic but this time the well-wishers were almost exclusively male.

"You should have seen Ron when she arrived," whispered Harry. "He fell on his face and nearly broke his nose thanks her allure."

"Huh?" I hadn't known Harry to be someone to use words like 'allure.' Was it a new slang reference for her rack?

Harry grinned. "Where have you been lately? I don't know how you missed the gossip but it turns out she's not fully human. Part veela I've heard though I don't know how much. After the World Cup Ron's been obsessed with them."

Before I could linger too long on thoughts of Ron's sexual interests, Dumbledore moved to the part I'd been waiting for. "And last but not least, our very own Hogwarts Champion, **Hermione Gr**anger?"

A polite round of claps came from the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students before they caught on to the disapproval of the Hogwarts student body. A few first-year students that didn't know any better clapped as well but gradually a dark silence came over the room as I left my seat. It was awkward to have so many eyes on me and a little odd that Ron's astonishment so quickly turned to anger but even so I was internally cheering and giving myself an imaginary fist-pump. I'd actually done it, I'd been chosen by a magical goblet as the one most worthy of presenting the school. Those seventh-years had to be so jealous right now.

The other two Champions were surprised to see me when I reached the back room we'd been sent to. Before they could get any funny ideas I said, "Hey, I'm Hermione Granger the Hogwarts Champion. It's nice to meet you." I was struck by how good-looking the were. Victor Krum, as befit his status as a quidditch star, was remarkably fit. Well, for a wizard anyways. And Fleur Delacour, in another blow to my heterosexuality, was breathtakingly stunning. There was a glow to her skin that no human could match and with her fine features she looked like a younger version of the elfin queen I'd met and almost as impressive.

I was startled out of my lust-tinged examination of my competitors as Dumbledore grabbed my arm and pushed me up against a wall. I held myself back from scratching his face off but it was a close thing. "How did you get your name in the goblet."

"I walked up and dropped it in?" I answered.

He gripped my arm more firmly. It wouldn't bother me in my half-spider form but I suspected it would leave bruises while I was polyjuiced. Sort of impressive for someone over a hundred years old. Also a real dick move and completely uncalled for.

"How did you get past the age line?" I cringed as a bit of old man spittle hit my face. '_Age line?'_

"This is what happens when you don't cane the students regularly Dumbledore," said Karkaroff. "Give her to me and I'll have her talking in no time."

"Barbarians, the both of you. Get your hands off that student," said the Headmistress of Beauxbatons.

Reluctantly he did while I wondered just what went on in that head of his. Perfectly calm as a basilisk hunted his students (including me!) and quite willing to hire three (possibly four?) villainous DADA professors in a row but God forbid someone fuss with his plans to revive the Triwizard tournament and 'promote international wizarding cooperation' and he went batty. "We'll speak of this later," he hissed. '_Not if I have anything to do about it you senile old codger.' _He easily ranked as the number one reason why I'd lost my blind respect for my elders.

Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch stopped further interrogation by starting up their explanation of just what I'd gotten into. Wasn't thrilled about the possibility of painful death but that was hardly a new thing at Hogwarts. Or Arda, of late… One pleasant surprise was that Champions were excused from exams this year and I was ninety percent sure that meant I could skip all my classes. My younger self would view that thought as heresy, obsessed as I was with learning things and to be honest showing off. But it had been quite some time since class was synonymous with learning and the tournament was another way to prove my existence. Besides, with the loss of the time turner I needed a way to feed my addiction to free, unstructured time.


End file.
